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    the lasses T H E L E A I) E B. [No. 336,...

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    WiC DINNiBR TO THE GUARDS. Tins most Hht...

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    —?—However Rapidly American Questions Ma...

    The idea was well intended by Mr . Sam . ^ sugess rthe ^ red ^ csr ^ iss fp ssssteii Se Surrey Gardens-the ntffcr musicJiafr , « £ those who had invited them H « so invited flglr friends to assemble in the boriftgto look on . JMter men were allowed << a toottm <« F » S * 9 ut eachy ""*** a

    bottle of champagnfe betwe 5 h three . WKb ever heard of such ammunition for the ' charging of toasts after dinner ? The champagne had frothed away long before the toasts were over , and ttie men were drinking toasts with empty glasses . This is an insult , when it is done intentionally ; and by the ' swell' committee who superintended the arrangement , and made a show of the guests , it ought to have been felt as a sarcasm , the more bitter because unintentional .

    Another great party of guests has come upon us self-invited—the Dowager Queen and the Court of Oude . The Queen Dowager has come to prefer the claim of a young gentleman whom she is p leased to call the ' heir apparent' of the late King . Apparently , we should say , there can be no heir where there is no inheritance . The lady seems to suppose , however , in the first place , that Queen Victoria can give us she has taken away , and that Indian kingdoms are to be handed backwards and forwards like a coin ; and secondly , that she can secure her object all the better by showing us one hundred and ten live Indian natives of her state

    —members of her ' court . ' Such is the grade of intelligence to which the deposed monarch has brought his realm ; and we are invited to restore him ! Out own Queen is off to the Highlands , having rapidly run the railway journey from London to Edinburgh in the usual style , with Lords-Lieutenant and County Guards of Honour at the railway-stations , bouquets , cheers , and so forth . Our Foreign Secretary goes with her , keeping up the communication between the head of the State and her representatives abroad . Sir Benjamin Hall , too , is off , so the fashionable intelligence announces , after having—morally at least—laid the foundation of two new offices in the

    neisrhbour-Irood of Downing-street , for the Foreign Office and the War Department . In order to carry on that work as constitutionally as possible , and in * accordance with the spirit of the epoch , ' as Mr . Disraeli would say , Sir Benjamin has called together a meeting of architects , has warned them that he shall throw the designs for the buildings open to public competition , and has affably invited suggestions ; receiving some on the spot . Sir Benjamin aspires to be the grand London improver ; and , as the Romans talked of the Augustan age , we shall have to talk of the Days of BENJAMrN " .

    The army , and the public generally , will be glad to hear of the appointment of Sir Colin Camp-BKXiEi to be Inspector-General of Infantry in the place of the Duke of Cambbtoge , who has most auspiciously signalized his accession to the Command-in-chief by this unexceptionable exercise of patronage . The whole of the dep 6 ts throughout the United Kingdom are to be formed into battalions of 800 to 1000 strong , consisting of depots of four regiments , to be commanded by a field-officer on the staff . The drilling of recruits will go on at these depot battalions , and nothing but made soldiers will be sent out to

    headquarters ; a system which , if carried out , will tend to keep regiments in consummate order and discipline . Sir Cojutn has plenty of work cut out for him , and as the Highland Brigade know , ho is the man to do it decisively , with such an AdjutanL-Qoncral as his Crimean aide-de-camp , Colonel Stkumng . The appointment of the l ) uke of Cambiudok to the eominundin » -chiof is , it anust bo said , very generally approved , and the country will mark with satisfaction bo fair an evidence of public spirit and of single-minded devotion to the beat interests oi the service as this appointment of Sir Coun manifests . l

    JSo tupic of tho week has excited more discussion than the letter oi" M . Louis Iir , ANc < on tho treatment of political prisoners by the Frmu-. li Government . Tho complacent public hus affected Lo wonder . A vory few words will express to our fr iends in Franco tho sense of tho article in ( he * Times : ' O / t vient de dtcouvrir Cayenne .

    The Lasses T H E L E A I) E B. [No. 336,...

    the T H E L E A I ) E B . [ No . 336 , Saturday , kJ . ¦ ' ¦ ^ J . ¦¦ ^ w ^ m imm ^^^ mmmmi mmmmm ¦—^ L—^^ ">

    Wic Dinnibr To The Guards. Tins Most Hht...

    WiC DINNiBR TO THE GUARDS . Tins most Hhter * sfi « g a * 'd genial celebration took place on M * s 43 ay at the Surrey Gardens . The weather was cloudyamd chill , 'bat there was no rain , and the gardens \ flttse crowded with a pleasure-seeking company . " The <* Hiiradiers , " says the ^ Fimes , " marcha 4 » em their bafWrifes' infiBfrdcage- 'Wdfc * Ver WestmktfUKritfWge to ' the £ garden 3 . The Fiji & iers , whose barHacks ** re at Chaii « £ -croas , ) passed aN * r . Waterloo-bridge , » f < Htorwing the SBfcenadJttte from tl » l £ lepltfftnt and Casftfe . The

    ColcM & eams 9 l » arched ftma thfctTower over JttJMiaonbrid ^ l « p ^ £ leptaytfMd << att & le , and tftflttte'to the ' gardens % y the same' route 8 s the other regiments . Added to these was a large body of Guardsmen who are stationed at Aldershott and Windsor , and -whom the directors of the South-Western Railway liberally conveyed to London and back free of all expense . The streets through which the troops passed were densely Crowded , and the cheering of * the people was most enthusiastic . The officers were in undress uniform : the

    men wore their foraging caps , not their bearskins , and , except in a few instances , did not carry side-arms . The Grenadiers , under Colonel Foley , were the first to arrive , and were followed shortly afterwards by the Coldstreams , under Colonel Upton , and the Fusiliers , under Colonel Ridley . " The concert-hall , where the dinner took place , was decorated with a profusion of military trophies , flags of the allied nations , shields inscribed with the names of distinguished officers , flowers , and

    garlands of laurel . " Behind the chair was a white escutcheon , bearing the name of ' Florence Nightingale , ' the word ' Redan' being inscribed in the left corner and ' Malakhoff' in the right . The company assembled in the galleries was fashionable and numerous , and a large proportion of the spectators were ladies . The gallery facing the chair was occupied by officers . The private box to the right of the chair was set aside for the Lord Mayor and his suite , while that on the left was reserved for the members of the committee and their

    friends . The consolidated bands of the three regiments of Guards , under the direction of the masters , Mr . Godfrey , Mr . Boosse ' , and Mr . D . Godfrey , filled the orchestra . In the gallery above them were seated a number of vocalists , chiefly amateurs , under the leadership of Mr . Land . The body of the hall not affording sufficient space for the accommodation of all the Guardsmen who were invited , those -who could not find room within its walls were entertained in a great tent formed by an awning extending from the top of the fireworks balcony to the margin of the artificial Waters . "

    On proceeding to the dinner , " the Grenadiers were ranged on the right of the chairman , the Coldstreams on his left , and the Fusiliers , who were accompanied by their pipers , occupied the centre of the hall . The chair was taken by Sergeant-Major Edwards , the senior sergeant of the Guards , He claims the honour of being the oldest soldier in the British army ; yet he is by no means an old man . He must have entered the service at an unusually early age , for though he has worn uniform for one-and- twenty years he is still in the prime of life .

    He served during the whole of the Crimean campaign , and was offered a commission , but declined it . On his return from the East , the Queen sent for him and appointed him one of the Yeomen of the Guard . He is the Prince of "Wales ' a preceptor in Calisthenic exercises , and has been given to understand that ho is to have an office in the Prince ' s household as soon as the establishment of his Royal Highness shall have been formed . " Mr . Harker acted gratuitously on the occaBion . Grace having been sung on the conclusion of dinner ,

    The Chairman rose amid loud applause and said , — - " Comrades , I am going to give you a toast . The individual whose health I am about to propose will require very little preface from me . I am satisfied that the image of that individual is so thoroughly impressed on every 0110 of your licarta thut bur very name Will make your hearts jump to your mouths . ( Cheers and laughter . " ) Comrades , I beg to propose ' Tho Health of our Royal Mistress , Her Most Gracious Majesty tho Queen—God bless her ! ' ( Enthusiastic cheering . ) Drink it three times three ond upstanding ! " Tho toast was received with great applause . The National Anthem was then played by tho various bands , tho vocal portion being executed by three hundred choriatcra , in conjunction wit * the whole of tho Guiirdsmen .

    The Chairman : —" Comrades , I have got another touat to propose to you ( cheers ) , nud I have a notion that it will plciiHO you vory nearly an much as tlio last . I don ' t mean to say that it will plenso you altogether as much- —that ia not to bo oxpected—but I am confident that it will plouso you very nearly as much . ( Cheers . ) I want you to drink to tho health of ' Prince Albert and tho rest of tho Royal Family . ' ( Loud cheers . ) Now , mind , I nay ' tho rest of tlio Royal Family , ' -which , of courfio , inoludcH my pupil tlio Prince of Walen . ( Cheers . ") May ho follow in tho HtopH of bin Royal parentH , and may tho day bo distant when ho wHl woar tho liritiHh Crown ! " ( Loud cht ' . ers . )

    ProviouH to tho noxt ; toaHt , Mr . Harker called on tho company to fill a bumper , ilo then exclaimed , " Charge I" Tlio ( JuurdHinoii leapt up , looked dubiously about tboni , and piuiHod for tho appearance of tho enemy , whou Mr . Harker completed hia admonition by

    saying—" Your glasses , gentlemen , your glasses ! " The laugfttfttr elicited by this trick having died away , Thte Ofeafnwan again rose and said : —" Another toast IforjyAu ! ( Cheers . ) 1 beg to propose ' His Royal High-* wss'the ' General Commanding-in-Chief , our soldiers and sailors , ' H * e chaplains of the army , and our brave allies in tke late war . ' ( Vehement applause . ) I wish to say a few wotttes to you as comrades . Now , mark me , I wish to talk to you as comrades . Hear me , old hands of Alma « nd ^ MkHttrmnn ! I need not say anything to j ^ o u in praise * of Jbe D » ke of Cambridge . ( Cheers . ) He must * li * eite < yo ' uT 1 l ! earts and in the hearts of all British soltHiifrs as Ae willin mine -Eternally . Our greatest pride must be to say that we were Guardsmen at Inkermarm

    ( Enthusiastic ekeering . ) The 'Duke of Cambridge was there ( loud cheers ) , and that is saying enough about him . As for our brethren of the line , I am sorry—if I can be sorry for anything on such an occasion—that the table was not big enough for them as well as for us . But , as the table was too small ( laughter ) , I am sure that they will not envy us our happiness ; but , on the contrary , ' that tbey will be rejoiced to learn that we have been so well received . As for our sailors , the good feeling that subsists between you and the blue-jackets is known to the world . We are indebted to them , and they are indebted to ns , for many a kindness . X " ou know it as well as I do . ( Cheers . ) There never was anything like the good feeling which subsisted during the war between you and the blue-jackets themselves—the ' blue

    soldiers , ' -as they were called . ( Loud cheers . ) "With respect to our brave allies , if I were the greatest speaker that ever lived , I could not do justice to their noble conduct . Oh , my comrades ! you saw the day when you could have knelt down and worshipped them as you would vour God . Don ' t you remember when you saw them coming over the hill ? ( Tremendous cheering . ) As for the chaplains in the army , they did their duty like men , and so little notice has been taken of them in military assemblies that I am sure you will bo glad to have an opportunity to return them thanks for all their kindness . Therefore , I include them in the toast , comrades , and I hope you will make it a bumper . ' Mr . Harker : " A bumper ; a bumper ! Make ready—pre-B 6 nt—fire ! " ( Cheers and laughter . ) The toast was drunk with great enthusiasm .

    After the national airs of France , Sardinia , and Turkey had been played by the band , and a song commemorative of the Guards' achievements had been sung the Chairman exclaimed : — " Another toast , comrades , another toast ! ( Cheers and laughter . ) I want you to drink ' the health of the Chairman , committee , and subscribers to the Dinner Fund . ' Now mind , when I say the chairman , ' I wish you clearly to understand that I do not mean myself . ( Cheers and laughter . ) I mean the chairman of the committee—another person altogether . ( Cheers . ) I have > « ry few words to say , but I am sure the toast will apeak to your hearts . First and foremost , comrade * , you are invited to a dinner such as I suppose cue memory of man never and hter

    saw anything to eqi" » l it- ( Cheers laug . ) Now , understand what I mean . Your coming hero is an honour to you , because it shows that your countrymen , the people of England , are satisfied with the manner in which you did your duty . You did your duty , or you wouldn ' t be here ; so I'll say no more about it . ( Cheers and laughter . ) But it is clear that we ought to return to the chairman , the committee , and the subscribers our moat grateful thanks . Ah ! we Jhave seen the day that we never could have dreamt that such a day as this would occur in the history of tho best of us . Think of what you have gone through , think of what you have seen , and then look around you , 1 Why , men dear , I could jump into another campaign to get another such welcome as this . ( Loud cheers . ) Thero ' o not a man of

    us that would not volunteer to-morrow for another war after what we have seen to-day . " ( Renewed applause . ) Tho Lord Mayor , in returning thanks , alluded to " the short , sharp , and decisive battle-field oratory" they had heard from Sergeant EdwaTds . Ho complimented the soldiers gonerally on tho capital letters they had written home during tho war , and finally begged to propose " tho health of Sergeant-Major Edwards , " who , he observed , was in every respect—whether an regarded Jus height , hiH beard , his looks , or the tingo of grey «'" " »« hair , which marked tlio old and honourublo « oluier--un honour to tho British army . ( Cheers . ) He hoped I "" gallant sergeant would bo long spared to serve bin country with honour , and to bo as useful to tho rogimwits oi Guards as ho liuu been that day . ( Loud cf / ecr . i . ) iNO "? know

    bravo fellows , " concluded hia lordship , " you m > w to firo—let uh have a good volley ! " Tho HiiKtf 1 * " ^ j readily adopted , and tho hall rung witli the ri'iie » t < ' <» buruts of appluuso with whioh tho name of Horgoiint-Mi \ jor Edwards was greeted . . Tho Chairman , in acknowledging the coinp liiuonr , eaiu : — " Bnvvo comradcH , thin iti a proud dny l '<> 1 ' "" [' us . Now , I am firmly convinced , and I toll it to you m confidence , thiH in the first time tliat a B « rgoanl .- "J " " tho British army has had hirt health iiropowd ' •> ' " Lord Mayor of London . ( Laughter and cheer * . ) llcn to tbauk him for thi ) honour 1 cannot toll . I !" ' ' , do return my humble thanltH to liin lordship ' "' " honour he Iiuh done me ; but it in not « n honour m >!| ' y to mo , who am but a mite in tho groat oiitfii " < : " ' British army ; it in an honour to nil who are bcrc a ** ' ' bled . ( Cheers . ) Ooinradon , 1 will nny w moro : uui

• Citation
  • Leader (1850-1860), Aug. 30, 1856, page 2, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse2.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/l/issues/cld_30081856/page/2/